Let Us Remember, It Is A TEXTBOOK

As a World War 2 enthusiast I could go on and on (and on) about how a textbook could embody the totality of the bloodshed, the strategy, the oppression, etc. of  the greatest World War our country has ever experienced. This; however, is useless in creating a textbook, especially a textbook aimed at highschoolers. I believe that our Modern World History textbook does a fairly good job of covering the crucial material that falls under the large umbrella that is World War 2; however it is easy to speculate and claim that they leave out or do not give enough detail to certain events that occurred during the war. (now is a good time to check my witty title) It is easy for most to let their emotions about WWII get in the way of what they want to see in a textbook. For Example: In A period Kyle and Sam seem to love the bloodshed aspect of WWII as exemplified for their lust for Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan. I could imagine for someone who is Jewish, the somewhat compact section about the holocaust could be a poor attempt at describing a most horrific period of time. Emotions aside, we most look at what information would be good for a 20 page (or so) chapter on WWII.

Now for my take on how the WWII chapter should be composed (emotions aside, because 20 pages consisting of the battle strategies of WWII would be enough for me.) My chapter would be named "WWII: The Rise & Fall of the Fascist Regimes."

I would start, like most others it seems, with the early days of the Fascist dictators and their rise to power. This way, the reader gets a good feel for not only what is to come, but also they can compare and contrast the leaders' ways of leadership, and make connections to what was successful, and what failed. Our textbook lays out the scene for WWII well with Mussolini and Hitler's rise to power well, and gives an unbiased account on how Hitler gained support. From here; however, chronological order makes the best sense. Date's, rather than periods of time were very important in the progression of WWII. i.e. Hitler takes power, D-Day, etc. Through the chapter, each section would start with a date. There would be the build up to, and the end result of this date. This, I believe is the best way to get the overall picture of WWII in 20 pages.

The Holocaust in my opinion, was similar to the Elephant in the room -- Allied troops did not start discovering concentration camps until 1945 because of the seclusion of the camps. I feel that the Holocaust should be in a separate chapter from WWII. This chapter would not only be on the Holocaust but also on the oppression of Poland and the countries annexed by Germany.

I might write more on this.

Kinda crunched for time and I realize that I spent a lot of time talking about how our textbook is well made.